GBH

2020 Envoy, only a month old. The weir gate will open fully when the pumps come on, but will not rise back up when the pumps go off. It will stay down unless you raise it. It stays up once you raise it, but it does not move on its own except when the full jets come on, then it goes down, but as I said it will not rise after the jets are turned off. I have checked and it is in the tracks. It moves easily. Both floats are in place. Not sure why it stopped working. Besides the two small floats, I can't see how the gate works. I am sure I can call the dealer and have it checked out. I just don't want to bother if it something simple that I'm missing. Thoughts?

So, I got my new Envoy this week. All hooked up. Questions now are: What is the benefit of adding a Silver Ion Cartridge? It is a salt system tub. Can you run an ozonator and the salt system at the same time? Would that even be needed?

Long time since my last post. Just a quick update. As CanadianSpaTech warned, the timing to get the spa was way off. We ordered the tub on the first day that the California plant opened to new orders, but I guess they got slammed. We have been notified that our tub is now completed and will shipped on Friday. Our dealer is first on the list for delivery, so maybe in two weeks we will be sitting a new Envoy. The color issues is still outstanding. As I noted he has ordered two Envoys. He reported that he has the other Envoy sold, but the buyer is willing to give us first choice of the two colors (Ice Gray vs Platinum). He got in a full truck load of Limelife tubs a couple weeks ago and all but a few were already sold before the arrived. As I've noted previously, I have appreciated everyone's comments and advise. I even agonized over the comments by RDspaguy about avoiding the saltwater, but in the end the wife would not give up this requirements. We will have to see how good I get at the water chemistry.

Thank you Castletonia, this helps a lot. I will look to get a portable (RV) mini softener. We have very hard water.

When getting ready to start up, or later during refill, do you need to condition the water prior to filling the tub. We do not have a water softener connected to the outside water lines of our house. One dealer wanted to sell us a portable water softener to use when filling the tub. Another dealer did not think it was needed. I was told that it will make a difference in the start up time of the tub and the amount of salt needed if the water is already conditioned by a water softener. Does anyone have experience with this situation? I will note we have a very hard water in our area (Indianapolis, IN). Thanks.

Well, our dealer has made this difficult. They chose to order two Envoys. Both Shale, one with Ice Gray and one in Platinum. So, no we will just need to wait and see them in person. Catletonia and Rachett, you are both so kind to give me advise. Rachett, your tub looks awesome. In fact, it is the now the reason that we will need to wait and see them in person to make our final decision. Thank you all.

I have very much appreciated everyone's comments and advice. It has been most helpful. We plan to go with the local guy and the Envoy. Now the difficult question...What colors. We like Shale and Ice Gray, but a close runner up is Shale and Platinum. We feel like the platinum would really show off the lights at night, but he ice gray would easier with the water spotting. Also, the controls and pillows seem to blend in better with Ice Gray. Are there any other compelling reasons to go with Platinum? I will say the wife and I are equally split on the two. what are the most popular color combos?

Got back today from testing out both the Geneva and Envoy. Different Dealers. Liked both. Liked the lounge better in the Geneva, but liked the captain chair better in the Envoy. The wife liked the Geneva and I liked the Envoy. We debated the construction. Geneva wooden frame...the Envoy is polymeric. Insulation is fibercor on the Geneva and Spray foam on Envoy. I really liked the filtration system on the Hot Spring a lot. Both are salt water (again a big thing for us and a must have). It was the price that caught us off guard. We are going to compare the cash prices. Envoy $12,300 and Geneva $14,200. Both are to be built (so with the factories just coming back on line, it will take 6-8 Weeks). I did not expect the difference to this large between the two. If we finance any portion of the deal, the gap gets even bigger. Envoy $13,600 and Geneva $16,400. Both come with all the same items (Starter chemicals, set up, stairs, top of the line lift and cover). When I later pushed back on the Geneva Dealer for a better price (to keep the wife happy), but they were firm. I mentioned the Envoy pricing and they said the Geneva is a higher price tub. I later spoke to a dealer who sells both tubs. Asked if he could meet the price for the Envoy and was told no, but he could meet the price for the Geneva for either the Envoy or the Geneva. Looks like the Original Envoy Price seems to be a good price. Thoughts? I'm in the Midwest. We have two other Caldera dealers within 1.5 hours, so I thought about pricing them.

Appreciating everyone's responses. Sadly, that two spas are at different dealers. The Hot Spring dealer does not have an envoy on the floor (in fact they have no tubs with water), so I can't test the moto-massage. The Caldera fits well. To be honest, after reading the reviews, I might need to travel to find a Hot Spring dealer with a tub on the floor I can test. I thought I had made my choice, but with the comments about moto-massage, I think I need to find a hot Springs to test. Saltwater system is high on the requirement listing. Would you say that the systems are equal on both tubs? Are there other tubs that come with a manufacturer produced Saltwater system? I could only find Hot Springs and Caldera. I know you can add them to most tubs, but I've been given conflicting information the the fact that it voids the warranty. Specifically, I have three bullfrog dealers give me conflicting information. Bullfrog was the tub leader (A7L) which we loved, but the conflicting information has ruled it out.

I am looking at a Hot Spring Envoy or a Caldera Geneva. They seem similar. One difference that I found, is that the Hot Spring has two pumps (1 - 2hp "two speed" and 1 - 2.5hp "single speed) while the Caldera has two pumps (1 - 2.5hp "two speed" and 1 - 2.5hp "single speed"). Both brands are part of Watkins Welness. I looked up the pumps and while they have different names, they are the same in terms of specs between the two companies. The tubs have similar features. Hot Spring has Moto Massage, and the Caldera has the Euphoria jets (So, I consider them a push). They both have salt water systems. Warranty is the same. Controls are even very similar. So, if price was similar would not going with the Caldera because it has a larger pump package make sense?